Sophie Oak: Siren in Bloom

“I would, sir. If he were here, I would absolutely send him right in.” Candice was Julian’s longtime assistant. At one time she’d been his nanny. Candice was, in many ways, the mother Julian had needed so desperately after his own had died. Julian really had managed to build a family out of nothing.

Why couldn’t Leo do the same? He had a family, and yet he felt so far away from them.

Julian growled a bit. “The little shit. I had this perfectly timed. I said my line, and now he’s supposed to make his grand entrance. Does he understand the meaning of the word timing?”

Over the intercom, Leo could hear the dinging of the elevator.

“Ah, he’s here now, sir.”

“Well, hello, pretty lady.”

Leo froze. That wasn’t…fuck, no. It was a coincidence.

He could practically hear Candice smiling over the intercom. “I’m old enough to be your grandmother.”

“My granny didn’t look like you, sweetheart. Can you tell the big guy I’m here?”

So many things fell into place. The laid-back Western accent. The cowboy-lothario treatment Candice was getting. The shit-eating grin on Julian’s face.

Only one person in the world would really annoy the hell out of Leo.

“Tell me you didn’t hire him.” Leo gritted the words out.

The door opened, and sure enough, there was Wolf Meyer.

“Hello, brother.”

Leo was sure in that moment that he’d landed in hell.

And he’d done it again. That much was plain. Wolf forced his face to remain placid. He wasn’t going to let Leo know just how much the lack of greeting cut through him. He hadn’t seen his brother in almost a year, but this was what he got. His brother stood there looking at him like a mangy dog had just walked into the room. “Something wrong?”

“I thought you were driving Logan down,” Leo said, his voice tight.

“I did. He’s sitting in the lobby.”

“I didn’t realize you were planning on working here. This isn’t just a friendly visit is it, Wolfgang?”

“Well, no, it doesn’t feel friendly at all, Leonardo.” If his brother wanted to get snippy, he could give as well as he got. Why the fuck had he thought this could work? What was he doing here? He’d had a decent job in Bliss. He’d been close to his mother. So why was he here when it was obvious that his brother didn’t want him?

Because he was still five fucking years old, clinging to his older brother because he didn’t have anything else. He’d left Bliss because he didn’t want to spend his life riding herd, and his mother was perfectly happy with the craziest guy in town.

And he missed his brother.

The trouble was, his brother had never once missed him.

Leo frowned. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry, Wolf. I’m just a little surprised. Julian didn’t mention he’d hired another Dom.”

“You didn’t tell him?” Wolf looked to Julian, who had seemed like a nice guy, but then Wolf wasn’t the brightest bulb in the light socket. He was a dumb grunt who shouldn’t trust his instincts.

“I didn’t think I had to,” Julian said. If he was at all uncomfortable with the tension in the room, it didn’t show. “It is my club after all.”

Wolf thought about the phone call he’d placed before he’d left Bliss. Leo had sounded happy. He’d said he had the guest rooms all made up. No wonder. He hadn’t thought Wolf would be staying.

Wolf’s first instinct was to turn and walk out the door. If Leo didn’t want him here, then he would go home. He would get in his truck and march his ass right back to Bliss. He would find a job. Surely he was good at something. The trouble was the only two things he’d ever been really good at were being a soldier and being a Dom.

And he wasn’t allowed to be a soldier anymore. And there wasn’t much call for professional Doms in a place as small as Bliss.

Fuck . He needed this job. “I’m sure we can work it out so you don’t have much interaction with me, Leo.”

“Not at all,” Julian offered. “He’s going to be your boss.”

Double fuck . “I thought you had a client for me?”

“No,” Leo said, his mouth a flat line.

“Yes,” Julian insisted at the same time. “But Leo is the resident Dom. He’ll oversee your training with Shelley.”

Shelley. Damn . He was a dumbass. Ever since that first conversation with Julian about coming to work at The Club, he’d thought about this woman who would be his charge. He’d heard about her background, though she didn’t really like to talk about it. It had been one of the things she had shied away from in their conversations. She’d been in an abusive marriage. She’d witnessed a horrible crime. She was alone in the world. She had a brother, but he was happily settled down on the very ranch Wolf had just left.

So why hadn’t he talked to Trev about his sister? He’d had the opportunity, but he’d avoided it. He’d told his friends that he would be working at The Club, but he hadn’t mentioned that he would be topping Trev’s sister.

“And she’s agreed to it? Has she signed a contract? Does she want to meet me in person first?” Despite the fact that he’d spent hours getting acquainted with her over the phone, there was a lot he didn’t know about her and she him. Julian had placed many things off-limits. No exchanges of addresses. No discussions of family in anything but broad terms. All there to protect them both, but it left some pretty big holes. And they hadn’t exchanged pictures. She could take one look at him and run. It seemed to be what most women did these days.

How was he supposed to act as her Dom when he was so fucking down on himself? He shook it off. Because he would be doing it for her. To give her what she needed. To get what he needed. The power exchange didn’t just work for perfectly confident people. But when it worked well, it gave a man confidence. And he was fucking confident. He was a man who had survived Hell Week with the SEALs. He was a man who didn’t give a shit what most people thought.

Except the minute he got near his brother, he turned into a needy kid again, longing for the approval of the man who had raised him.

“She doesn’t need to meet you, Wolf. There’s been a mistake.” Leo took a step forward, but Julian blocked him.

Julian pulled a file off his desk. “She’s already signed a standard contract. I’ve attached a set of hard and soft limits for you both to discuss and agree to. Sexual contact is up to you, but she seems open to it if the two of you click.”

“Are you fucking high, Julian?” Leo practically roared. “This is not happening. Wolf is not working here. He’s not topping Shelley. He’s going to get back into his truck and drive right back to Colorado where he can take care of our mother.”

“She doesn’t need me.” Wolf’s whole body flushed with humiliation. God, why had he thought this would work? It wouldn’t. Not if Leo didn’t want it to. “Ma’s happy, Leo.”

“With Crazy Mel. Yes, she’s happily awaiting the next alien invasion. She needs someone who can take care of her.”

“Mel’s a good guy.” Where was this coming from? Leo had never had a problem with Mel before. Leo had laughed with Mel the last time he’d come home. He’d joked and played golf and drank some of Mel’s special tonic. And gotten slightly trashed since Mel’s special tonic happened to be rotgut whiskey.

Leo took a long breath. “I know he is, but they’re both getting older. Have you thought of that? And you don’t have any formal experience.”

“He passed Stefan Talbot’s tests. I like Mr. Talbot. I trust his judgment,” Julian explained, but it didn’t seem as though Leo was listening.